Virginia GOP Official Uses Sexist Slang On Facebook

A top official in Virginia's Republican Party used a vulgar word for female genitalia on Tuesday night in a Facebook conversation about a female lawmaker, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

In a Facebook discussion about potential replacements for retiring U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), one woman expressed her support for State Rep. Barbara Comstock (R). She also commented on the strength of Virginia's Republican women voters, prompting state GOP Treasurer Bob FitzSimmonds to respond, "I have nothing against Barbara Comstock, but I hate sexist twat."

FitzSimmonds quickly deleted his post and apologized after his comment drew criticism on Facebook. He said he doesn't typically use that kind of language.

"I was trying to say that I don't appreciate sexist stereotypes and apparently used one myself," he said.

He later told the Virginian-Pilot in an email that he thought the word he used had the same meaning as "twaddle," and that he was not actually referring to Comstock when he said it.

"It was relating to the sexist stereotypes being used by the woman posting," FitzSimmonds said.

A spokesperson for Comstock did not respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

The "twat" remark is the second sexist Facebook post by a Virginia Republican to draw negative attention this week. State Sen. Steve Martin (R) made headlines when he posted his view that a pregnant woman is a "host" who should not have the legal right to an abortion.

Then-Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) was a proponent of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have banned states from recognizing same-sex marriage. "Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded," he argued on the Senate floor in 2004. He also called on President Bill Clinton to resign over the Monica Lewinsky scandal, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/ensign-whacked-clinton-fo_n_216508.html">saying it had destroyed the president's credibility</a>. Yet in 2009, Ensign admitted that he had had an extramarital affair with a former campaign staffer who was also the wife of one of his top aides. An ethics investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee and the FBI followed, and<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/john-ensign-resigns-reports_n_852285.html"> Ensign resigned</a> in 2011.